The Bay Harbour Butcher case is closed but Dexter must deal with Lila.

I think that what has happened in the last 5 episodes is part of the finale because so much has happened in this season early but in this episode a miracle happens for Dexter when Lila gets to Doakes and blows up the cabin because she thinks she is his soul mate and she did it even though she knows he is the Butcher Dexter knows what happened was a miracle but he feels he has to kill her In this season things have definitely went Dexters way and Lundy who still doesn't truly believe Doakes is the Butcher is overwhelmed with the evidence that points to him and the case is closed As the season goes on we have seen how crazy Lila is and Dexter goes to Paris to do what many have wanted him to do since the start of season 2 and now Dexter has a new start with no Lundy,Doakes or Lila.

Done With The Questions
Written by Melissa Rosenberg And Daniel Cerone
Directed by Steve Shill

Dexter: "It's pretty impressive. It seems it wasn't too long ago since I was taking care of you".
Deb: "I like it better this way".
Dexter: "Yeah, I can see that".

After an explosive set of episodes, its reassuring to know that Dexter's second season ended up going out with a bang as opposed to the feared whimper that some sceptics thought it would end up with. That being said, I'm pretty sure there are a lot of people who still are unsatisfied with the resolution with the Bay Harbour Butcher.

With the knowledge of a third season, it was always obvious that Dexter was never going to pay for his crimes but with loose cannons such as Doakes and Lila, there was still the issue of how Dexter would get away with murder yet again. It really didn't help that one was a hostage and the other a psycho stalker.

Framing Doakes was always going to be Dexter's way of dealing with problem number one. His code prevented him from considering killing Doakes and his devotion to Rita, the kids and Deb is what stopped him from turning himself in. As reasons went, they were more than valid.

However ever since "Resistance Is Futile", Doakes has practically had a clock over his head and sadly for him, his time was well and truly up. Thankfully for us, his death had nothing to do with Dexter but more so Lila, who just continues to show how incredibly unhinged she's become. It's hardly surprising that when Doakes tells her that Dexter is the Bay Harbour Butcher that her sympathy shifts to Dexter. Lila mutters on about how hard things must have been for Dexter to conceal such a huge secret, which is enough to make Doakes realise that she's nuts.

Of course Lila then also decides to protect Dexter's little secret by blowing the cabin up with Doakes. As deaths go, it's a little comical and while it's a shame that Doakes only gets less than ten minutes of airtime, it just confirms that Lila has signed her own death warrants by cleaning up one of Dexter's messes.

Of course at the time Dexter is relieved for the exploding cabin and dead Doakes. After all, a huge weight has literally been taken off his shoulders and while in the previous he almost accepted the idea of imprisonment, he's now eternally appreciative of the freedom he nearly lost.

On the flipside he also realises his GPS has gone missing and when he swipes it out of the remains from the cabin, he soon realises that Lila was responsible. So instead of a guardian angel, Dexter got a creepy British lady saving his ass. Needless to say, Lila is yet another problem that needs proficient sorting out.

Facing off Lila in an aquarium was a great way of getting him to confirm to her that he kills people. For once Lila did appear to be afraid of Dexter but that fear soon turned into lust when he tried to get her on side. As liars go, Dexter could give master classes in the subject.

He said all the right things to push Lila's buttons, based on the fact that parts of it were true. Dexter at times doesn't think he's capable of feeling but his relationships with Deb, Rita and even Angel in the last episode have proved otherwise. Lila literally doesn't feel anything and unlike Dexter, her attempts to masquerade feeling and mimic certain behavioural patterns aren't as successful.

It doesn't matter though because as far as Lila is concerned, Dexter has finally let her in and even wants to run away with her. Lila might be unfeeling but she couldn't be that stupid to not even consider the idea that Dexter was lulling her into a false sense of security. She even asked him at one point if he was planning to kill her and I don't remember hearing Dexter deny it.

Unfortunately for Dexter though, Deb ruined his perfect scheme by arriving at her apartment when he planned to kill the skanky Brit. It also didn't help that Dexter had to play along with Deb's hostility in front of Lila as well. There was a great moment where Lila taunted Dexter about the bag. It was also another realisation on her part that Dexter had planned to bump her off.

As much as I hate the woman, there was the smallest fraction of me that pitied her when she later opened the bag and saw Dexter's little weapon collection. For all her lack of feelings, she was still dumb enough to believe that she and Dexter were soul mates. There's no denying that they have some similarities but Lila's lack of boundaries is what makes her dangerous.

She proves that when she uses Dexter's kit to knock out Lexi and snatch Cody and Astor. Given that she accused Angel of rape and murdered Doakes so casually (the **** even bragged about the latter during the aquarium face off); using Rita's kids to get at Dexter was wholly stupid.

Worse still Lila trapped Dexter with the kids in her own place and then decides to the ground. Luckily for Dexter, he's able to get them out in time but it gave Lila enough time to leg it to Paris. As getaway destination go, it wouldn't have been my first choice – no offence.

However while skipping the country might have been a good idea, it doesn't mean Lila actually got away with her crimes. Now how many ex-boyfriends do you know who would go all the way to Paris just to kill you? Not many but obviously Dexter is an exception as his dedication for justice now sees him travelling to another country. At least Lila will be delighted to know that she made enough of an impact on Dexter that he would travel halfway across the world to end her.

Of course Lila, even as death came to take her still believed that she was doing the right thing for the man she loved. Dexter wasn't particularly impressed or grateful but he did admit that thanks to her, it was okay for him to be himself. I suppose even as an audience who have widely loathed the character of Lila should at least give her credit for Dexter getting his groove back so to speak.

So as a second season villain went, Lila was in some ways refreshingly different to Rudy but at the same times, obvious parallels could be made. Both of them used various tactics in order to get Dexter more in touch with his dark side and both of them loved him. The only difference is that Lila didn't have the same kind of emotional impact on Dexter or viewers (for obvious reasons) that her death would ultimately cause some sort of sadness.

It'll be interesting to see what kind of Big Bad the third season can deliver but with both the threats of Doakes and Lila now gone, what does the future hold for Dexter? It's undoubted that all season long Dexter has raised questions about whether or not he's good or evil and it's also interesting to see if he'll be able to maintain his promise to no longer worry about such questions.

One thing I did appreciate about Dexter is that he felt some guilt Doakes' death. He might not have loved the guy but at least he showed compassion for Maria, killed Lila for him and even attended his funeral. The sad part however is that whatever you think of Doakes, he didn't deserve to die and he especially didn't deserve to have people still think of him as the Bay Harbour Butcher.

Unfortunately everyone still believed that it was him and while it means that this thread won't be dragged out next season, I seriously pitied Maria. Lundy was put in the unenviable position of confirming to her that Doakes was dead and even when it looked like she too believed he was the BHB; Maria still collected money for a memorial.

It's hard to say what side I would've been on. Would I have been like Angel, Deb and Masuka and refuse to believe that Doakes was innocent or would I be collecting money like Maria? Deb even challenged Maria but empathised with her as well. I like how the writers have used the Rudy angle to strengthen Deb as a character.

We saw that with the way she took charge and tried to mind Dexter after the fire at Lila's place and even the way she was determined to get Lila out of her brother and Angel's lives. Hell, we even got to see it when she was determined to salvage her relationship with Lundy.

That led to their break up. It was clear that Lundy was trying to dump her, mainly because he probably it would better for Deb rather than him growing tired off her. It was plain to see that she was never going to make it to the airport in time but I guess it went to prove Lundy's point about Deb being married to her job.

Speaking of relationships, when Lila wasn't trying to kill the kids, Dexter and Rita were seemingly getting back into their groove as a couple. However as much as Rita loved having Dexter back in her bed, I found the warning she gave him to be quite interesting if he stepped out of line. Rita's another character who's majorly changed for the better this season as well. This ball busting side to her has definitely made her a more interesting character to watch.

Also in "The British Invasion"

The title of this episode came from the 1960's influence of the likes of the Beetles and the Rolling Stones. Deb: "It's Doakes, you **** hate the guy".
Dexter: "I used to. I can't even afford to think of him as a person".

Masuka made some off hand comment about making a movie out of the BHB events during his time with Dexter.

Lila: "You're wrong. I have feelings for you".
Dexter: "You wanna have feelings for me. They're just impulses".

Deb looked cute in her little floppy hat and parka set up. Lundy's a man after my heart because I'm not much of a sun person myself.

Lila: "Come to say goodbye?"
Deb: "Actually we came to see you cleared out but now that we see your way, we're good to go. Have a nice **** life".

Lila (re the bag): "I'm pretty sure it's mine. I can open it up for you if you'd like to check".
Dexter: "No, it's my mistake".

In the fashion stakes, Dexter was rocking a pretty dark coat when he went to kill Lila in Paris. I actually want a coat like that.

Lundy: "It's more than that to you".
Deb: "Okay I love my job but not as much as I love being with you".

Cab Driver: "You don't want to go to the airport?"
Deb: "Of course I want to go to the airport".

The music in the episode was pretty exemplary, especially given the nice use of the theme music earlier on in the episode.

Dexter: "So I'm gonna be like this forever?"
Harry: "Yes".

Deb: "How can you be so **** relaxed?"
Dexter: "I'm good at compartmentalisation".
Deb: "You're a little weird, Dex".
Dexter: "Yeah, that's not gonna change".

The Harry flashback in this episode was brief once again. The young actor from the first season was back playing Dexter.

Lila: "Dexter".
Dexter: "You wanted to feel close to me, this is the most I can offer".

Lila: "Don't do this".
Dexter: "You told me to accept what I am. To trust in the one I know with absolute clarity. Thank you".

Chronology: The episode took straight after where "Left Turn Ahead" left off.

As a season finale, "The British Invasion" does everything that it needed to in wrapping up the stories for the BHB, Lila, Doakes and Lundy without cheating audiences along the way. With this show heading into a third season, it'll be amazing to see the quality maintained as greater shows themselves have often suffered fatigue in their later seasons.

In this episode the second season documenting the tales of the secretive slasher, Lyla finds out about Dexter disaterous hobby and chaos ensuthes.

I really enjoyed this episode although i am sad about the death of Doakes. However I am glad that Lyla was finshed off as she had just become more of an anoyance than a threat towards the end of the series. Well until she locked Dexter in her burning apartment with Ritas kids. ( Great sequence by the way.). I hope in the next season they bring someone like Doakes in so Dexter will have more of a challenge to do his dirty work without being caught.Im in england and this episode has just arived here so have no clue about season 3 yet and i dont dare look a t Dexters tv.com page in case it ruins the next season. Thats how much i like this show. Hope you agree with me if you see this. thannk you for reading.

Everything wrapped up, yes. Satisfying? No.

Honestly, after all the build up, I wanted a better conclusion. Dexter not getting caught and Lila and Doakes dying would've been fine if the road leading up to it wasn't so damn obvious.

And, come on. At the start of the episode ?!?! How more anticlimatic could it have been? The moment Lila found Doakes it was clear to me that what is going to happen. What a shame that the show dropped the ball in the final episode....

Even the scene at the aquarium, honestly, what was that? 5 minute dialouge with Lila and afterwards Dexter's like "Woo, I just tricked her! I bet you didn't see that coming"

Umm, yes we did! There are no consequences, no development whatsoever.In fact, this episode single handedly "reset" the show to it's season 1 episode 1 state. Maybe the storyline revolving around Dexter's victims came a few seasons too soon: It should've been in the final season with finally people finding about him...

I just watched this and I can't believe that such a good show was dragged through mud. Season 1 was some of the best television I've seen my entire life. Season 2 was even better... up to the finale. Now I don't think I'll watch anymore.

Dexter went from becoming a very sympathetic character to one you don't really care to relate to anymore. The season ends with him letting Doakes take the fall for his kills. Then Dexter flies to Paris to axe a woman who (granted though messed up in the head) the writers went to extremes to make worthy of murder. I think the problem with this whole season 2 mess began when Doakes found Dexter in the everglades dumping the body of his mom's killer. Season 2 would have been far better if either Doakes never gotten so close to Dexter's truth, (which led him to be held hostage, which led Lila to find him and kill him, which led Lila to be axed) or if Doakes had let Dexter off and moved on himself to a cushy six figure income. I would have even have been happy had the show come to an end where Dexter surrenders and accepts responsibility for what he did (not taking others down just because they saw how screwed up he really is). In summary, I found it harder and harder to watch the season from that point on and was hoping for some ultimate redemption at the end, where Doakes would keep Dexter's secret and Lila would become better and quietly move on with her life. Instead, Dexter crossed the line from being an avenger to being a self-serving opportunistic sociopath, (i.e. just another psycho killer). And psycho killers aren't interesting, they're just f'ed up. I hope the showtime writers bother to research these sites. If you do, you guys just messed up some of the best, most original TV I've ever seen. I'm not watching anymore, and I don't think many others will for much longer.

perfect

This was great television. I was really shocked when Lila killed Doakes. I was kind of sad to see him die. And near the end when dexter, in turn, killed Lila. This was a good finale. I was surprised Dexter wasn't found out to be the bay harbor butcher. That would probably have ended the series, but I still think it was nice that people still believed it was Doakes. Overall the Bay Harbor Butcher season was a one with good plot twists, and incredible endings to each episode. Final grade for this episode is definitely going to be an A+

I am glad that he killed her in the end.

The season finally summed everything up. I like when they leave on a little clif hanger at the end to get you something to look forward to in next season. The episode was good other than that. I like how he killed the british **** in the end, it would have left to many open end if he left her alive. I like that he is back with the better girlfriend, and that there is no chance of him getting blamed for the murders. I felt so bad for the sister and the end of her relationship. she always picks the wrong guys.

They all lived happily ever after!!???

I have to agree with user Egale20... It was such a disappointing finale, i loved the 1st season finale it was one of the best i had ever seen, but this 2nd season finale was just awful. I didn't think it was good Doakes died, I mean it was cool Lila came to Dexter's rescue and all, it was a good twist, but did Doakes really have to die? could they not have just found one of his limbs or something and Doakes could be alive somewhere with temporary amnesia or something??? The fact that Dexter was prepared to kill Doakes, a good person at heart for knowing his secret just seems un-Dex like! and Lila the psycho... she accuses Angel of rape, those charges don't just drop because you're an illegal immigrant, she would have to drop the chargers, or they would have to have proof Lila is loony!! the police didn't know she was crazy... until she kidnaps the kids and tries to kill them... oh but wait their mother, Rita, isn't angry; she's just glad they are all o.k ... please!!! if it were me, i would be furious with Dexter, not only because he cheated on me and left me for someone else, but because he did it with a PSYCHO B**** who tried to kill my kids, even if we were back together I could not just dismiss that... The whole episode was just so disappointing. And Deb and her relationship... over, just like that... ridiculous. Any way what more can i say... a poor poor episode finale in my opinion.

Dexter avoids all consequences when all his troubles just go away one way or another.

After watching this season finale, I went on-line to look for reviews. I was shocked to see that all of them, on this site and others, were all extremely positive.

I hated this finale. You might say it ruined the entire season for me.

The whole season we are led to believe something is going to change, Dexter's life will not be the same again. Sure, I never thought he would actually get caught and go to jail, but I was looking forward to the creative way the writers were going to resolve the many issues that came up during the run of the season. The way they wrapped things up was horrible, in my opinion. I was truly disappointed. Doakes knows about Dexter? Let's kill him. Lila knows? Kill her. Everything to make Dexter happy. No creativity, let's just finish off all obstacles in his way, and let the last episode of the season take us back to exactly where we were on the first episode of the season. It's like you can skip the whole season and have no problem going directly to season 3. What poor writing... Rita didn't even care her boyfriend's ex girlfriend kidnapped her children and tried to kill them. She dismisses it all with "Well, as long as we're all okay". Give me a break... Even people who did not "cheer" Dexter on during the run of the show, could certainly relate to him or understand where he's coming from. And we were all happy and content when he avoided the law. But now, after seeing he was willing to frame Doakes for his crimes, an innocent man, I can no longer connect with him... I don't like him anymore. I want him to get caught; I want him to go to jail forever. And by making me feel this way, the writers kinda ruined the show for me.

And to have the season end in such a stupid way, where everything just neatly works out for Dexter, without even a cliffhanger to suggest "oh, but wait, there is still danger lurking over him", where all who stood in Dexter's way, good guys or bad guys, are finished off, just makes me not want to even bother with season 3.

Getting the end slide a little.. but good finish for season

Somehow it feels like last episode had all the tension, all the excitement and that culminated very fast in this episode, quite in the beginning with that bang..

But even with the tension was down, there were still some things.. I mean.. Lila and Dexter situation was unsolved and that seemed to take most of the time.. not that I stopped liking that storyline some time ago (it was promising first but.. turned dull quite soon). Ofcourse there was Deb's choice and I loved how they did it.. I was sure they can ruin it quite easily.. but that was well done.

So.. overall.. beautiful ending..but could have had the excitement through to the end.

Review

A Lila centric episode to end season two. The second half of the season was indeed far better then the first, but overall I was hoping for a bit more from Dexter. This show is so unique and special and they have the perfect guy (Hall) playing this role that will be very hard to duplicate if they ever try to do a show similar to this. Doakes dying in the first couple of minutes at the hands of Lila was not something that I saw coming. I figured Lila and Doakes would both die, but I didn't figure that Lila would be the one to do Doakes in. I thought he would have died in crossfire or something at some point. The second half of the episode certainly dragged on a little bit. Deb misses her plane, so hopefully we see some conclusion with Lundy at the beginning of the next season. Angel is cleared of his name and Lila bites the dust. Overall, they have done everything that they had to do to make seaosn three a new experience. Dexter is still with Rita and has a new slide collection to work on. I think season three will begin with Dexter on a killing spree as opposed to the "I cant kill" at the beginning of this year. Overall - Season 2 was "Slightly Above Average" for me.

A great and very neat wrap-up to all of the second season's riddles and loose ends.

Dexter has always been a series that is both very high in quality AND entertainment value. The writing is superb and witty and the acting ranges from top-notch to genius. Can you tell I like this show, much? I can't help it but feel this slight tad of dissapointment when I compare this season finale to the previous one. The ending of the first season was just so compelling that it would be very hard for this one to be able to top it.

Still a lot of plotlines got their resolve during this episode, from the Lila-problem to the Lundy/Deb problem. All of this was brought to us, in true Dexter-fashion, in a very exciting and brilliantly plotted way. I honestly didn't expect such a neat little wrap-up in the end (where are they going to go with season 3?) but it all worked out well. This season was a bit slower at the beginning, IMHO, but towards the middle everything became as engrossing as it had been before, if not even more. The pace, the characters, the writing...everything made this season a gem, and I can't stop myself from assuming that the upcoming season will be just as great (or even more). Dexter is one of the most intruiging shows on television today and I think it hasn't even peaked yet, it's only warming up now, and already it has become somewhat of a milestone in television drama.

All the loose ends have been tied up...

Using the GPS she stole from Dexter's car, Lila makes her way to his cabin and finds Doakes locked up. He tells her that Dexter is the Bay Harbor Butcher, but if he was hoping for a sympathetic ear, he won't get it from Lila who decides to protect Dexter in blowing up the Cabin. Dexter cant believe it as he says in his voice over Was it spontaneous combustion? Divine intervention? If you believe that God makes miracles, you have to wonder if Satan has a few up his sleeve, Sgt. Doakes ends up dead but there's a little matter of Lila knowing the Secret.

Back up at the lap Dexter finds that his GPS in the evidence bag, but how did it get there? He knows it was Lila all along; he goes to meet her and decide to leave together. Dexter wants to make her his victim, he goes to meet her at the flat but Debbie pops up from now where (Debbie you silly women), Lila shows her self but ends up leaving with dexter's handy tools, Lila soon finds out that Dexter was planning to Kill her.

Lila takes Rita's children back to her place, Dexter gets there but Lila sets the place on fire as she escapes, he gets the kids out of there and in the nik of time Debbie comes to rescue.

Lila leaves the Country, but Dexter tracks her down in Paris and disposes of her. Cant Wait for Season 3 Now

lila had it coming

ding dong lila is death. So the end comes it wasnt all that i was expecting but still a very good episode it just dosent live by the standars of the last few episodes , i have to admit im going to miss doakes sure he wasnt very nice but i still couldnt help liking him and about lila she really had it coming i mean killing doakes framing angel trying to kill the kids ... altough i liked her in the first few episodes of the season (mostly because she is really hot) once she showed her true pshyco colors i realise she deseved dexters knife. also sad lundy went awy i hope he comes back thoug.

The Brits aren't masterminds.

Okay, so, I just wanted to note a few things that I got P/O over regarding this character 'Lila'/other stuff:

1. When she discovers Dex is a serial killer, she appears impervious to the typical overwhelming and mind-numbing sensation which normally trumps all over feelings. Instead she starts rambling on about Dex's and her own feelings. I'm sorry but she's nothing more than some drama-queen/crack-whore -- I'm pretty sure serial killers are out of her league.

2. The Brits aren't masterminds -- they're always portrayed as some intelligent, harder-to-catch villains but I'm sick and tired of that idea which is complete BS. Am I to believe this drugged up girl keeps escaping Dex just because she's got some British accent (which by the way repulses me -- people say it's cute, but it's just goofy)?

3. If the limey over-stayed her visa she won't be able to leave without being arrested by immigration at the airport.

4. So, how DO YOU get rid of a body in Paris?

All in all, it was a disappointing episode.

For one, it's sad to see Doakes leave the show -- I can't say he was one of my favorite characters but he did up the interest by adding the risk factor.

Two, I didn't like the fact that after all the trouble Lila's been causing all she gets is quick stab and a respectful closing of the eyes.

In the "British invasion" Dexter's problems are solved when Lila steals Dexter's Navigation system and finds the cabin hidden in the Florida Everglades where Sargent Doakes is being held captive. She breaks in and Doakes informs her that Dexter is the Bay Harbor Butcher. Lila in a delusional state feels that she now truly understands Dexter and wants to protect him. She leaves a gas line open and turns on the stove locking Doakes in the Cabin. Almost escaping Doakes is instead nearly all but incinerated by the huge explosion which destroys the cabin.

Dexter is relived by the instance but is unaware how it happened.

Dexter is given a new lease on life and begins to appreciate all that he could have lost should he have confessed or be caught as the true killer he is. Taking advantage of this renewed sense of freedom reconciles with Rita and they have an early morning romp before the kids stumble upon them to interrupt or as dexter put it "The Sex Police are here."

Later in examining charred evidence in the Forensics department from the Cabin explosion Dexter discovers his burned yet still recognizable Navigation unit that was taken from his car. Realizing that Lila could be the only person to take it he makes contact and arranges a meeting.

In this meeting Lila and Dexter profess their true fondness for each other and arrange to leave town the next day. Dexter has other plans.

Dexter hides in Lila's apartment waiting to "Remove" her when Deborah walks in almost becoming Dexter's victim on accident. She assumes that he was there to make sure she had left too when Lila walks in. Lila then sees Dexter's bag of tools and realizes what is going on. She grabs his bag and leaves telling Deborah that shes leaving town, and walks out.

Dexter leaves and tries to phone contact Lila to no avail.

Lila Pulls her jeep on the beach and looks at Dexter's tools. She then goes to Rita's home and knocks out the babysitter that was watching Astor and Cody.

Dexter returns to the Police station when Captain Astor tells Dexter that a woman called saying that she had specific knowledge to the Bay Harbor Butcher case and that Dexter has something to do with it. Realizing that Lila is trying to stall Dexter and he immediately rushes to Rita's house.

Upon arriving at Rita's house Dexter finds the children missing and the babysitter unconscious. Rita walks in and Dexter informs her that the children are missing and to call Deborah get get police searching for the children.

Dexter immediately goes to Lilas Loft and finds the children awaiting him who appear to be fine. Turning around Dexter sees Lila and she tells him that that essentially he "Screwed up". She grabs a lit standing candleabra and throws it to the ground igniting the curtains on fire. Lila runs out of the apartment shutting the steel doors and locking them closed with a chain. As the apartment engulfs in flames dexter kicks out two small windows and rushes the children through them to safety. once out he attempts to open the locked doors again with no luck. Gasping from smoke inhalation on the floor he remembers his father telling him that he will always be the way he is. Waking out of his daze he sees the lathe and plaster opening a hole in the wall as it burns. He jumps up wrapping himself in a blanket and rams the wall numerous times before flying through the wall to the outside entry way collapsing to the ground. Deborah grabs him and pats the flames away.

Dexter is sitting on a stretcher and asks Deborah how she knew to come to Lilas place and she stated that it was pretty obvious.

Lila is seen boarding a plane to Paris France.

Deb and Dex have a cute moment together stating that Deb is now taking care of Dex and not the latter.

Scene End. Black.

A tram or lift goes riding past the screen and the shot is taken to Lila opening the Door to her apartment in Paris. She checks her mail that has been slid trough the mail slot in the door and finds a Postcard that says "Greetings from Miami" on the front and a picture of Sargent Doakes on the back with no writing. Dexter leaps out from the shadows piercing Lilas spine with a needle. Lila tells dexter that she couldn't feel her legs or the rest of her body. He tells her thats why he did a spinal injection because he has a plane to catch.

He lays her on her and she tries to use reason and excuse to not do this but he tells her that she of all people always said how she understood him. He plunges a knife into her chest and waits for the life to leave her eyes. He seals her in a bag, and zips her up.

And then there were none. All issues resolved, if not always to our satisfaction.

So - Doakes is dead and it's the brit bit who dun it, this saving Dex from dirtying his hands. Angel is saved, the girlfriend accepts Dex back, the case is closed... then the brit bit goes nuts and snaps up the kiddies, thus providing Dear Dex with all the motivation needed to go after her. All does not go as planned. Things catch on fire. All in all a very empowering finale, but somehow unsatisfying. Dex is getting thoughtful and moral and all kinds of complex, and it's not nearly as endearing as sweet, innocent completely clueless killer Dex was.

This is the way a finale should be.

I won't rehash what a lot of people have said but I have to say this. The creators of this show know how to end a season and all those other shows should really take note. I find it very satisfying to have all the seasons loose ends tied up in the finale instead of the usual season ending cliffhanger that most shows try to leave you on. Perhaps they think this will keep us coming back but in my mind it does more harm than good. Giving the season some closure does a couple things, it answers all those exciting questions about what is going to happen to doakes, lila, rita and the kids, etc, but it also makes me feel like I got my moneys worth by not forcing me to tune in next season, which just feels cheap. After the end of last season and now this one, I can say that I am really looking forward to next season and feel that the writers and producers of this show really know what they are doing. I sure wish other shows had the balls to wrap thing up so neatly, just like dexter. Lets hope this writers strike is over before filming is supposed to begin.

Is This The finale episode?

Realy great episode, Dexter is safe, Lila got what she deserved - kind of! So Angel is free. I feel sorry for Doakes, he didn't deserve to die, even if Dexter should have been arrested. I like the thot that Rita and the children are with Dexter, because, those who sayed that someday Dex wount be able to control he's "monster", were wrong - Dexter has at least the fealig called love. Even if he says, no, he loves Debra, Rita and her children. At least I think so. :) Dexter keeps doing what he was doing before. Looks like a great finale! Is it?

A great season ending, just as you thought it was all just unravelling for Dexter, Lila comes to his rescue.

Felt sad for Doakes only trying to catch the killer but going down as the serial killer himself. Maybe Dexter will somehow tag some other killer as the butcher to clear Doakes and also to clear Dexter's conscience of an innocent being killed. I think Lila would have made a good side kick for Dexter in a way and having someone to share his secret with would have lightened the load, he would kill them and she could fry them. Glad she got hers at the end though, she would have become a bit of a liability and she probably would have wanted to kill just anyone, poor Doakes

Lyla saves Dexter from being caught but then she decides that she needed to threaten Rita's children just because she still can't have Dexter. Once again someone threatens Dexter's family and he does what is necessary to protect them. BYE Lyla ABOUT TIME

This season finale was the bomb. In my opinion, even though Dexter is a serial killer, he didn't deserve to be caught, so I guess thank the lucky stars that Lyla was as nosy as she was. She took care of Dexter's problem, although I don't think that killing Dokes was the answer. Lyla really shouldn't have threatened the children and that is what put the nail in her coffin. In the end she proved that she was a murderer and she got exactly what she deserved. She showed us that Dexter really does have feelings when it comes those he cares about. So to all those who think about threatening those Dexter finds important, BEWARE!!!

A lot happened...

I was suprised at how much happened in this episode. We get the conclusion to the whole Doakes situation and I think that it ended well.
Spoilers ahead for those skipping ahead...

I didn't want Dex to kill Doakes and break the code. I'm glad he didn't have to make that choice. I kind of knew that Lila was going to do the deed but I didn't expect it to happen so soon in the episode.
I liked it though. I thought it was a nice way for the character to go out and the fx were pretty nice.
But all that was in the first few minutes and then we had to deal with Lila and her whole craziness. I thought her story was wrapped up well. I was prepared for her to get off scott free and become a killer in europe. I could have seen her popping up again in the future to give Dex a little trouble down the line. I was suprised that he tracked her down and killed her but I liked it as well. That shows her not to mess with killers.
I like that the season wraps up with a clean slate and we can begin the next season fresh and with out too much stuff gumming up the works. All is clean except for Doakes old partner mourning his loss. I think she will be the next one to start sniffing around Dexter in the future.
I can't wait to see what is going to happen in the next season and beyond.

YAY! Dexter is Dexter again. Or possibly a new and improved Dexter. Either way, YAY!

The season two finale tied the entire season together, and topped it off with a nice little bow. I couldn't have asked for anything more. Except maybe a more slow, painful death for Lila. She deserved far worse than how Dexter got rid of her. He showed her mercy, at least, Dexter's form of mercy. Or maybe it was his way of saying thank you to her for killing Doakes when he couldn't do it. She did clean up his mess. But I didn't like her from the beginning, and what she was doing to Angel was wrong. And then trying to kill Rita's kids and Dexter, she deserved worse. The 'Greetings from Miami' postcard was awesome. I would like to know how he disposed of her, though.

And the hint that he's going to try new things next season has me super excited. I can't wait. YAY for Dexter! :)

After soo long, the Dark Passanger is back!

Lila discovered that Dexter is the Bayharbour Butcher, and captured Doaks in that little hut near the swamp. She wants to help Dexter, /because She still believes that Dexter is her soul mate.../ and blow up the hut, with Doaks.
The Miami police has every evidence that he was the Butcher, so they close the case. Dexter is in safe. The only thing left is Lila, who knows about him. He tries to kill her, but she escapes thanks to Deb, and kidnap Astor and Cody. She couldn't kill them because Dexter saves them. After that Lila run to Paris. Everything comes back to normal. Dexter got back his identity, /The Dark Passanger/, his family, and his peacefull life. Everyone feels bad about Doaks, but that was the only way, so Dexter could survive this. Of course after this, Dex hunt down Lila in Paris. :)

Wasn't bad, but I think the next season gonna be more darker, because the real Dexter is back!
They gonna need a new, badass serial killer against Dexter Morgan! :)

On both story and character levels, Dexter is executed with masterful precision. Even if you think you found a flaw, you've still got to give it a "10" compared to everything else on television.

I thought every writing choice totally worked and led to one of the most gratifying endings to anything I've seen in years- plus, I absolutely love it when stories find a way to work in a moderate spiritual nudge...one of the last things, if not the last thing he says was something like- "I can't help but think that a higher source wants me to keep doing what I'm doing". FRAKKIN' AWESOME! I could see an argument for Lila's involvement taking the pressure away from Dexter having to make a hard decision, but Dexter had already made the decision to not turn himself in, so in that sense he had fully arc'd. We didn't have to see our hero kill someone he (and we) didn't want to see "Dexter-ized" (if you will). Also, Dexter showing up to take out Lila right at the end (just as I was thinking "don't tell me she's going to become a serial killer herself") might have been a little cliche, but it's a great audience pleaser, gave solid closure, and just had me walking away thinking "wow, this season was perhaps better than season 1, I love this, and I'm jealous as a writer".

This sums up the two first seasons. And they leave us wanting more.

Before I saw the last episodes I did not like the idea that Lila would kill Doakes and Dexter would get away. I felt it was too weak, rushed, and Doakes deserved a better death than by the hands of Lila. He should rather be turned in to the police and let the system deal with him, or get a worthy death by the hands of Dexter himself.

But after the season finale they made me change my mind. The worthy-death-thing had already been done last season with Rudy. I think many more would have complained that it was unoriginal and so on. Turning Doakes in would not have worked at all. He would constantly point Dexter out as the killer, and with Lundy and LaGuerta doubting that Doakes was the BHB there is no way Dexter could come out of it in a credible way. Doakes HAD to die! There way no way to avoid it. But the amazing thing is how they made us feel about it!

For two seasons now Doakes has been the loud mouth macho that was suspicious of Dexter. And we all, at one point or another, thought to ourselves that Dexter should just get rid of him. He would just be another obstacle removed; Dexter only had to find some dirt on him, that he did something terrible in his military carreer or something. It wouldn't be hard coming up with a story that made him deserve to be Dexterised. But, in merely a couple of episodes, the writers managed to create a chemistry between Dexter and Doakes that the viewers loved. And it was acted out brilliantly. Doakes went from being one of Dexter's obstacles to becoming a cherished "friend" whom we wanted to keep for a long time. But we couldn't. We had to let him go. It still amazes me how they managed to turn that situation completely around. That is brilliant writing! Making us want the impossible, and yet not give it to us.

When it comes to Lila, at least some of us, wanted her dead from the beginning. And eventually the rest followed. This also had to happen! And killing her IN a body bag, with a knife through her heart, with a sad look on her face was great! I actually felt kind of sorry for her at that moment, but knew that there was no way she could get away. I still think this was meant to happen after Doakes' funeral, like several months in the future, but then they couldn't end with Dexter's voice-over at the end.

This season finale was not meant as a action packed-heart beating-thrilling-biting your nales-cliff hanger. It was meant to wrap up the last two seasons, and it contained some of my favourite scenes of the entire two seasons. Including the morning sequence with the theme song as background music. Brilliant!

Dexter made many mistakes this season; cheating on Rita, not going by the code, making an innocent man go down because of his own crimes. We were shown the sacrifices that were made in order for him to realize who he is. He was uncertain about his identity, because of his brother, his father and his sponsor. But now he has worked through all that, and evolved. He is now the master.

In a show about a serial killer, this season ended with the most unsatisfactory death of them all. But it was not in vane. Because of that we'll get to see more of Dexter in the future. And I pray that the writers can serve us more of what we've got so far. A brilliant end to a brilliant season of perhaps the best show on TV!

My favorite Serial Killer.What a great season it was.I am ready for next season!

This is by far one of the BEST shows I watch.The anticipation just kills me.Amazing writing,great actors & actresses.This season answered all my Question about how Dexter became Dexter.The final episode was just what I wanted.I was glad Dex got back with Rita.Then u had Dex getting rid of his problem Lila she became the first new victim of the "Bay Harbor Butcher"!Next season is going to be interesting can't wait till let us know what it's going to be about.I really hope they Keep Dexter on Showtime I don't want to see it on CBs all edited. I love Dexter!

A great ending to another great season

I'm quite satisfied by the season finale episode of Dexter, I think its setting up for the 3rd season showing sneak peeks how LaGuerta will cope without Doakes, Deb becoming a much stronger character perhaps being promoted sounds a bit too soon but nothing too far-fetched on Dexter and ofcourse how Dexter will progress without the stress of the Bay-Harbor Butcher manhunt.

It's definatly a big loss Doakes being blown to smithereens and it wasn't a big surprise that he was not going to last much longer but since the show was going a different path from the books, a main character had to take the exploding propane tank to the chest to cause a shock moment.

From that moment to the end it was mostly Dexter trying to tie up that big loose end known as Lyla who knew too much and was eligible candidate on Dexter's "To Kill List" which I'm sure we've all been expecting but perhaps not expecting in the most romantic city in the world, I love the "Greetings From Miami" postcard, our Dexter, always an artist no matter what the situation.

I don't think it's the last we've seen of Lundey so we should expect the unexpected, hell let's even expect Rudy rising from the dead, we got a while till season 3.

the second season finale of dexter.

just like it showed in the preview lila had been responsible for doake's death. his death was cool,he went out with a bang. i was knida sad to see him go, his character grew on me. laguerta'a reaction was so sad. she knew th truth, but no one cared. doakes went out a murderer with no sympathy. lila had annoyed me so much, and im actually glad shes gone. when she stole dexters bag it just annoyed me. it made me worry that she would turn him in. when she found out he was the butcher, it was classic. her reaction was hurt, but i think she expected it. in her last effort to hold onto dexter she took ritas kids. i thought she would hurt them, but instead she was really nice. then she trapped them and dexter in her burning place. but dexter saved the kids and with a little help from his dads memory, escaped. i thought this episode was really good. a great finale, with a lot of good storie tied up.

Dexter is always brilliant better than 95% of tv out there.

A little off disjointed for a finale, but I think that you need to judge a series as a whole and this ending was nice effects and higher budget. Gorgeous cinematography even for a Dexter episodes. I like how Lila became the ice truck killer for this season ties up endings well and plays cute humorous scenes nicely with dark blackness. I wish people weren't so quick to judge such an awesome show. Why do I have to write 100 words is this English class I said all I need to say right about now with one more word. Awesome.

Important:
You must only upload images which you have created yourself or that you are expressly authorised or licensed to upload. By clicking "Publish", you are confirming that the image fully complies with TV.com’s Terms of Use and that you own all rights to the image or have authorization to upload it.

Please read the following before uploading

Do not upload anything which you do not own or are fully licensed to upload. The images should not contain any sexually explicit content, race hatred material or other offensive symbols or images. Remember: Abuse of the TV.com image system may result in you being banned from uploading images or from the entire site – so, play nice and respect the rules!